A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize performance for tasks like engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 may serve you well with its powerful processor and graphics card. However, if portability and battery life are more crucial for your daily use, the Dell Alienware m17 R5 falls short due to its larger size and reduced battery longevity. Both laptops offer ample storage and RAM for general use. The ASUS also has a higher resolution display which is better for color-intensive tasks, while the Dell's higher refresh rate benefits fast-paced gaming. The price difference is minor, so your decision should hinge on which aspects—performance or portability—align best with your needs. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Best in class speakers
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m17 R5
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.9
8.1
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has a better screen than the Dell Alienware m17 R5 for general use, engineering and design, and content creation, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 offers vibrant and sharp visuals, making it suitable for a wide range of tasks due to its high resolution and bright display. Engineers and designers would appreciate the ASUS's wide color gamuts, providing greater accuracy for detailed work. However, gamers requiring smooth motion may find the G15's lower refresh rate less ideal for 3D games compared to screens designed with faster refresh rates, even if the resolution and panel type are adequate.
Battery
9.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has 9.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m17 R5 has 5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Poor
15.6in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
7.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has good portability, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
8.5
7.8
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has very good build quality, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,637
$1,100
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 has a price of $1,637 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 costs $1,100.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.8
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
309.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
301.0 nits
9.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.5/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for general use.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 excels in general use due to its lightweight design, longer battery life, and superior screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy, making it very portable with great visual performance. In contrast, the Dell Alienware m17 R5, while it offers a larger screen size and strong build quality, is much heavier and has reduced battery life, making it less ideal for frequent mobility but still capable for general computing tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.5
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
6.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 are both good for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.1
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m17 R5 and ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 are both very good for engineering and design.
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 boasts a powerful AMD Ryzen 9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 GPU, accompanied by a high-resolution, high-refresh-rate screen, which is ideal for intensive engineering and design tasks, while still maintaining reasonable portability and excellent build quality.
Content Creation
8.0
7.8
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware m17 R5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.4
7.4
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1440
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and Dell Alienware m17 R5 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 and the Dell Alienware m17 R5 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 | Dell Alienware m17 R5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,637 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.6'' x 0.78'' | 15.6'' x 11.8'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 7.3 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 15.64" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.57" | 11.76" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS | AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 1 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 9.5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 90 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1440 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 480Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 309 nits | 301 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 8.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.5/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 6.5/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | No Webcam | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2021
"As long as you're aware of the fact that the GeForce RTX 3080 laptop version can only unfold its potential to a limited extent due to Asus's low TDP setting and that it can be slower than a fast RTX 3070 laptop, the ROG Zephyrus G15 GA503Q cuts a fine figure. One of the biggest highlights turns out to be the WQHD panel, since it attracts customers with 165 Hz, relatively fast response times, FreeSync, and good color-space coverage. Other selling points are the surprisingly rich sound, the long battery life, and the sleek design. In terms of looks, the white edition stands out nicely from the competition."
Dell Alienware m17 R5
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | January 2023
"Overall, the all-AMD system in the Alienware m17 R5 is impressive, especially the graphics performance. However, various driver issues and unnecessary inconsistencies prevent us from truly enjoying such a potent gaming machine. In addition to strong 3D performance, we particularly like the build quality, the fairly bright UHD display with high color space coverage, and the fact that the gamer is often quiet when not under load and also rather quieter than some competitors under load."
Get a great deal on the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 or the Dell Alienware m17 R5
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
Compare ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 vs. HP Spectre x360 14
VS
Compare ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 vs. Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (2024)
VS
Compare ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 vs. ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m17 R5 vs. MSI Cyborg 15
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m17 R5 vs. MSI GF65 Thin
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m17 R5 vs. Gigabyte G5
VS
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
100,995
Recommendations made
21,883
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
Featured in
